On Change and Cherry Blossoms
by Katadenza
Summary: Kaito and Miku, underneath the blooming cherry blossoms, talk about the future. Sequel to both "On Sentience and Shopping Carts" and "On Mortality and Melted Ice Cream". One-shot.


**Author's Note** : I live. Incredible. Time to finally finish this trilogy with something that's _even_ _shamelessly_ _fluffier_ than the two previous fics combined. (smh) But still, I hope that you enjoyed and will enjoy the things I've written with Kaito and Miku, and I also hope that I've made you think, even just a bit. But if you just find them cute that's fine with me too. At least I've managed to make you happy.

 **This fic is set in the Labyrinth-verse.** (More info on my profile, if you care.)

This... was supposed to be for Miku's birthday. I'm late. I know. Shut up. If MitchieM can be fashionably late so can I. *conveniently ignores the fact that he was only late by a day*

But yeah, I guess you can also consider this something for the tenth anniversary for the Vocaloid fandom as a whole. I think I got into Vocaloid around this time of year too, actually. That was six years ago, wow...

So yeah, Happy New Year everyone, and here's to another ten years!

* * *

 **MAY 1, 2017**

* * *

"Ten years, huh...?" Kaito murmured.

"Mmhmm," Miku nodded, her head against his shoulder. Around them, the world was a flurry of pink, the cool wind stirring up the petals around them in a hypnotizing dance as they almost completely covered the ground. The faint smell of cherry wafted through the air as the two Vocaloids just sat at the foot of a large tree, watching the trees in full bloom.

"And we didn't-" Kaito singsonged, walking his fingers up Miku's shoulders. "-miss-" Up to her head now. "-A single year." He then flicked off a few petals that had landed on Miku's head and had gotten caught in her headset, making her giggle. She sighed, content, and adjusted herself so that she ended up on Kaito's lap, curling into him.

"I'm just happy that there isn't any pressure this year," she said, looking up at his face. "No concerts, no promotions... I'm still surprised."

Kaito smiled, wrapping both arms around her. "Yeah, we don't need to worry about an Expo at this time of year," he said, as his hand unconsciously scooped up a handful of petals and let them drop, one by one, from his open palm. "Or what happened three years ago, don't you remember?"

Miku whined, pressing her hands against her face. "Don't remind me, that was so close!"

"They managed to bloom for us _two days_ before you left for America, you lucky songbird," Kaito laughed, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

Miku, face turning red, buried herself into his jacket. "It's like the trees themselves didn't want us to miss a year," Miku said, peeking at the multitude of trees surrounding them, the same ones they had visited every year ever since she was activated. "We've been lucky..."

"I don't know, Songbird," Kaito said, raising a hand to his chin. "If I were to guess, I would say that you deserve it."

" _Really_?" Miku looked at him, skeptical. "You _do_ know that we don't actually do much in the end, right?"

"That's funny," Kaito cocked his head. "I swear we talked about this before."

"And we always end up saying the same things," Miku sighed.

Kaito playfully scooped up another bunch of fallen petals and let them all fall on top of her teal head. "Let's talk about something else, then~"

"Hey!" Miku sputtered a bit, grabbing as many petals as she could and throwing them back in his face. A small fight ensued, with the two making good use of the piles of petals around them, causing them both to be covered in pink by the end of it as they laughed and tried to catch their breaths.

"But... seriously... Kaito," Miku said, between gasps. "Did we really _do_ much, besides what we were told to do? Besides what was expected of us?"

Kaito sat up, biting his lip in contemplation. "Well, I wouldn't say much about me," he began, "but I know that you've certainly done a lot of important things. I mean, you've been on American television! Multiple times!"

"Like _those_ weren't horribly awkward experiences..."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "But still, Miku, I look us up online and I see articles almost every month talking about how inspiring you are." Kaito scooted closer, hugging Miku and bringing her face-to-face with him.

"Even if we're inhuman, even if what we do all day is just sing to a VSQ... you gave a voice to people who don't have any. You've helped a lot of people get through dark times, Miku. One after another, I see people who say that they've met new friends because of you, who never would've succeeded if it weren't for you..." He pressed his forehead against hers, voice lowering to a whisper. "You took all their feelings, all their songs, and expressed them though your voice. That's a lot."

"If you're going to say that about me," Miku said, staring into Kaito's eyes. "Then don't sell yourself short either. Everything you've said about me applies to you too, you know. You make people happy, Kaito. You even outsold _me_ once. And..." Miku suddenly became preoccupied with pulling a petal apart in her hands. "We've done so many things together too. You've always been there for me. You've always been helping me. You were my _mentor_."

"You saved my life," Kaito said earnestly.

Miku couldn't find anything to say to that. "You've... done more than enough to pay me back..."

"Not really," Kaito admitted. "What else have I done? Besides help you with your English? Which-" Kaito gave her a stern look, "-you have no more excuses to not practice, by the way. Not with your new bank."

"Ugh," Miku flopped into a nearby pile of cherry blossom petals. "Let's not talk about my English, not here..."

Kaito laughed. "Fine..." He crawled over to the girl, still sprawled among the petals, her eyes half-lidded as she breathed deeply. "Miku," he said, looking down at her, "you've gone so far, and I can only see you going further."

Miku blushed deeply. "Don't say that, it makes me sound like I'm leaving you behind. I don't _want_ to leave you behind."

"I'm serious though. I'm even looking forward to seeing Songbird sing at the Olympics three years from now!" Kaito booped her on the nose, making Miku squawk indignantly and sit up as he laughed at her antics.

"The Olympics?" Miku snorted, rubbing her nose. "I know the humans like me-"

"Understatement of the century."

"Mmnnn," Miku couldn't help but blush yet again. "But yeah, I don't think they like me _that_ much."

"Don't be so pessimistic!" Kaito wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'll be watching you live on national television, I promise you."

"Three years..." Miku muttered, leaning back against the tree as she looked off into the distance. "Kaito, where are we even going to _be_ in three years?"

"Somewhere amazing, I just know it."

"But think about it, Kaito," Miku said, gazing into the distance. "Producers come, then they go... you've noticed it too, haven't you? That things have changed since ten years ago."

"Of course I have," Kaito snorted. "Obviously, things are going to change over ten years."

"No... no... it's like..." Miku inhaled, pressing her hands against her face. "I used to see producers look at us, _really_ look at us as _ourselves_. They would talk to me, Kaito, even if I couldn't talk back. Producers would play around, experiment, have _fun_. They made songs about us back then, Kaito. Now, I just do my job and move on. All business, and no time for anything else. I'm just another instrument."

"Technically, Songbird, we were _always_ professional instruments," Kaito pointed out, matter-of-factly. "This is just the way things were always supposed to be."

"I _know_ , but," Miku looked at him, a bit distraught. "I just miss those times, you know? I think that's what saved us, back then. People who didn't see us as _just instruments_." She sighed, and held her face in her hands. "I'm just worried, Kaito. We've been really lucky."

"We have."

"And I'm scared that our luck might run out, after ten years." Miku crawled into Kaito's lap again, burying her face into his chest. "I'm scared for you. I'm scared for all of us."

Kaito began to stroke her hair. "Ah Miku... didn't I tell you not to be so pessimistic?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, maybe the producers who still stick to the old mentality have been getting fewer and fewer, but that doesn't mean they've all gone away. And even if they've gone, they can always _come back._ "

"I..." Miku looked over to the side. "I guess..."

"Like Hachi-sama. You were telling me about Hachi-sama a while ago, right?" Kaito prodded. "Called for you again after what, three years? When we all thought he would never come back?"

"Yeah..." Miku said. "Wowaka-sama too, actually."

Kaito's eyes widened. "Really? That's even better!" He gripped Miku's shoulders, speaking excitedly. "See, Songbird? Provided nothing else happens, we're not dead yet! As long as there's one producer, just _one_ , who thinks we're worthy of singing their song..."

Miku looked at the gorgeous scenery around them. "I just want to see all of these with you," she said. "Every year, every spring, for the next ten years, and the next, and the next..."

"Of course we will," Kaito reassured her. "And besides," he said. "No matter what happens, no matter how much time passes, no matter how many producers leave, _I'll_ always respond to you."

Miku gaped. "That's... t-that's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," she sputtered.

"It's true though," Kaito said, taking her hands in his, and Miku could see nothing other than utter sincerity in his eyes. "If you'll sing, I'll answer. If you call, I'll respond. That was true ten years ago, and I swear it will be true ten years from now. A hundred years. A thousand," Kaito then smiled at her, the same pure innocent grin that Miku loved so much. "Always."

"Kaito..." Miku choked up, her eyes beginning to sting. Unable to hold back, she sprang forward, enveloping Kaito in a tight hug. Kaito hugged her back just as tightly, peppering her face with kisses. The two fell back into the grass, still clinging tightly to each other.

Around her neck, beneath her clothing, Miku could feel the small songbird pendant that Kaito had given her for her fifth birthday pressing against her skin, as well as the silver ring threaded right next to it. She reached around her neck to hold onto them, feeling their outlines in the palm of her hand, as the fingers of her other hand slowly intertwined with Kaito's. His arm still wrapped around her, the two began to relax and watch their surroundings once more.

Around them, the cherry blossom petals fell in a relentless shower, each gust of wind only bringing more and more petals floating down to the earth.

And the two said nothing for a very long time.

Eventually, Kaito spoke, unable to ignore his own internal sense of time. "Mei-chan might be calling us back soon."

"I don't want to leave," Miku whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

Kaito smirked mischievously. "Want to see if she can let us stay for another hour?"

Miku paused, then nestled deeper into him and sighed, watching the branches of the cherry blossom trees blowing in the breeze. Temporary, ephemeral, and yet, at the same time, eternal. She closed her eyes, feeling completely at peace.

"Sure."

 _ **fin.**_

* * *

I just want to say...

To Miku, Kaito, and everyone who's ever contributed a song, a fic, a PV, an image, _anything_ to this wonderful phenomenon called the Vocaloid community...

Thank you for the last six years of my life.

Thank you so much.


End file.
